Introducing Female Eclectus Parrots?

[Chiku~Kauai]

Aloha, my name is Alex and I live in Hawaii
I have one female eclectus parrot named Chiku. She has a history of feather plucking from being in stressful situations with previous owners, I 'rescued' her after seeing a craigslist listing about her. She was 4 years old at that time, totally plucked bird from the neck down. I was able to keep her for a year and she stopped plucking during that time, probably because we had a good relationship, my husband and I fed her organic fresh foods, she was able to fly around and get exercise, and the environment was quiet and peaceful. She grew all her feathers back and when I had to go out of the country for a few months, I re-homed her to a man who really wanted to take her on as a lifetime companion and who already had a couple of parrots and was very interested in caring for them, having built a large aviary in his yard for them. She started plucking again and even after two years has not stopped. The new owner says that he feels she does not really like the environment, and that Chiku won't fly to him at all. So he is going to bring Chiku back to me, and I am going to take care of her until I find her the best forever-home possible. There is a good prospect, but it would involve getting Chiku acquainted with other eclectus parrots. I know of a home where a male and a female eclectus parrot live in a large aviary outdoors (they are separated but under the same roof so they cannot breed but are still quite close to each other). My question is if anyone here knows about if/how female eclectus parrots get along with each other and how to properly introduce female eclectus parrots to each other and help them get to the point where they can live together in the same large cage/aviary. Thanks for any help.

[Chantilly]

Hi Alex, welcome to the forum,
I know very little about eclectusses, but I will share the little bit that I do,


With eclectuses, their breeding season goes for along time, I think it was 9 months of the year, so Chiku might be plucking for this reason.
Also, Females in the wild have heaps of male mates (unlike the usual parrot, one eclectus female will have A LOT of mates.)
Having another female could provide great company for Chiko, or they might both want the male... I couldn't say one way or the other because I really don't know much about eclectuses, but I think other members on here will be able to help you more.
I wish you and Chiko the best luck.

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't think it is a species thing. It depends on the personalities of the birds. I don't think I could ever have an odd number in a cage. A mated pair is usually not good company for a single since they stay so close together.

[Pajarita]

Well, in the wild, female ekkies flock with other females while the males flock together (this trait which is unique to eclectus and the fact that they are so dimorphic is what confused people for many years after discovery into thinking that males and females were two different species) so you will have that in your favor but, personally, I seriously doubt she will adjust to living in an aviary with other birds. I think the only solution for her is to live with a person who will be there all the time (meaning not work outside the house) for her. If the bird was mine, that's what I would be looking for.